Hazel
by raimee
Summary: my first fic...please read and review! monica, rachel, and ross decide to move...they don't know the rest of the gang...c/m eventually! not as cliche'd as it sounds ;) *CHAPTER 4 UP!*
1. Mr. Coffe-Man

               Okay, this is my first fanfic, and it'll probably suck a little! Don't say I didn't warn you! Monica and Chandler don't know each other…Mon and Rachel are best friends, and the rest will be introduced in this fic (I hope! lol) Everyone's single!  This takes place sometime before they got old (lol)…they're like 22/23/24 years old…now on with the story! 

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, or any songs that I may use

               "Oh my god, Monica! This is sooo great! Aren't you excited??!" Rachel squealed and squeezed the handles on her suitcases. "We're actually gonna get outta this city!! Oh my god, I'm so excited!!! We'll be like starting a new life! Across the country!!"

               "Rach…calm down. People are looking…" Monica mumbled through gritted teeth. The people around them looked on with strange faces. 

               "I know Mon, but oh my god, this is just too exciting. Think about it, we'll be off in California, on our own, free from our parents!!!" Rachel giggled like a little schoolgirl.

               "College freshmen?" a man, about 27 years old, asked Monica and Rachel, focusing mainly on Monica. They both looked confused, and after a short pause, broke out laughing. 

               "College? Us? No, we just got outta college. We're 22 actually. Just moving to California. My friend here thinks this is some **huge** change in our lives. Kinda like the time we switched from Macy's to Bloomingdale's." Monica silently laughed.

               "Actually, your friend's got a point. Moving all the way from New York City to California is a big change. It's actually really great down there! What part are you moving to?" the man asked, then nodded ahead as the waiting line began to move.

               "Uhh, she'll be living in San Fransisco. She got a job as an assistant buyer near Union Square. And I'll be in Greystone, Sonoma Valley," Monica picked her bags up and hauled it a few steps forward. 

               "Greystone! Are you attending the Culinary Institute of America?"

               "Yeah! Have you been there?"

               "Yeah, actually, my aunty teaches the students there. It's really nice. Well, if you'll be living in Sonoma Valley, that's the complete opposite of here! It's total country."  
               "See Mon! I told you this was a huge change!!! Wait, come on, I think they just called our names!" Rachel struggled to wheel her cart and suitcases to the front desk. Monica smiled at the man, and pushed her luggage ahead as well. 'God, finally.' She thought. They had been waiting in line for 40 minutes at JFK airport, and the loud, irritable crowd did not make it any more comfortable. After getting everything checked and cleared on the front desk, Monica and Rachel handed the airport facilitators their entire luggage, took their carry-on's, and headed through the metal detectors. Once they arrived at their gate, they were shocked to find it practically empty.

               "Whoa! Where is everybody?" Rachel rhetorically asked, while putting her bag down, and sitting on the black waiting chair.

               "I dunno, but Ross should be here soon. He just sent left me a message," Monica was saying as she listened to her brother's message on her phone. It must have been so loud in the airport that she didn't hear it ring. "He's waiting in line right now, so I'd give him about half an hour. When does this flight leave?"

               "Don't ask me Mon. I don't pay attention to things like that, remember?" Rachel replied nonchalantly while flipping through _Cosmo._ Monica groaned in disgust. 

               "Hey guys!!" Ross came running up to them with a small duffle bag. He hugged Monica and kissed her on the cheek, then hugged Rachel. 

               "Ross?! How'd you get here so fast?! I just heard your message, we were expecting you to take like, half an hour or something!" Monica was shocked.

               "Yeah, that's what I thought too, but it turns out that Carol's dad works here! Yeah, although we're divorced, I think he's still taking a liking to me! Well anyway, he saw me, and opened up another counter…just for me!" Ross put his bag down. "So, why is this place so empty?"

               "Got me. Hey, uhh Mon, I'm gonna go run to that store near gate 28. I need more magazines. Okay?" Rachel grabbed her purse and stood up.

               "Sure, and can you pick me up a bottle of water?" 

               "Of course. Ross, you want anything?" 

               "Yeah, could you get me a bottle of water too? Oh! And I almost forgot, I've been dying to get this month's copy of _Scientific American_!" Ross smiled at the two girls excitedly.

               "Okay…sure." Rachel left with an uncertain face. 

               At the store, Rachel carefully picked out her selection of five different magazines, and after a while of searching, found Ross' magazine in a small corner of the newsstand. She found three bottles of water, and picked up a bag of M&M's and Skittles. As she waited in line, she noticed the boy in front of her had an issue of _Playboy_ in his hands. Rachel eyed him oddly. He couldn't have been older than 10 years old. _'I don't wanna know what kinda parents he has'_ She watched as he walked away and gave the magazine to an older man, around Rachel's age. 

               "Oh my god!" she said aloud. The cashier looked quizzically at her. "I'm sorry, excuse me, I'll be right back." She went to the entrance of the store where the little boy and the man were. 

               "Aren't you Joey Tribbiani?" Rachel looked at the man with a gleam in her eye.

               "Yes…that's me. Why, do you want an autograph?" Joey tilted his head with a sly grin. Rachel looked around for something to sign on, but found nothing. She gave up and gave him one of her magazines. Joey hesitantly took it, and signed it. 

               "Thank you! Is that your son?" Rachel pointed to the little boy.

               "Huh? Oh, Ryan? No…of course not. You think I'd tell my son to buy me an issue of _Playboy_? He's my agent's nephew." 

               "Oh! Okay, well, I'd better get going. Umm…where are you off to?" Rachel asked.

               "I just landed here in New York. The premiere for my new movie _Business Talk_ is here. You should see it. It's a good movie." 

               "Okay, I will! It was nice to meet you! Bye!" Rachel ran off to tell Monica and Ross about her encounter with Joey Tribbiani, but only after stopping and realizing she forgot to pay. 

               "Mon! Ross! You will never believe who I just ran into!!!" 

               "Benjamin Franklin?" Ross asked sarcastically. No one laughed. Except for him. 

               "No…Joey Tribbiani!!! From Days of Our Lives!!! And that other movie, uhhh, _The Window in the Attic_. [AN: sorry, I couldn't think of another title!] I saw him! He was at the magazine store!! I got his autograph too!!! See…" Rachel held up her latest issue of _Vouge_, which possessed the signature of Joey Tribbiani. 

               "Wow! Oh my god! You're so lucky! Joey's really cute!" Monica giggled giddily.

               "I know! He's staying here for his premiere of _Business Talk_. We have to go see that when it comes out!" 

               After waiting for another hour and a half, the gate announcer finally started boarding. Rachel, Monica, and Ross were all sitting next to each other in the coach section. Rachel watched jealously as the first class passengers found their seats on the plane. "Look at that! They get so much more room for their feet!! And their chairs are made of leather…**leather!**" 

               "I'm sorry, my friend drinks wine with her breakfast." Monica pushed Rachel ahead while smiling politely at the confused passengers. Once they were seated in their seats, the captain's animated voice was heard on the speakers.

               "Gooooood morning everyone! This is your captain speaking. Welcome aboard United Airlines flight 28 to San Fransisco. This will be a non-stop flight to SFO airport, at which we will be arriving at precisely 9:35 western time. The flight will be about 7 hours and 40 minutes long. We will be serving a small snack and dinner. Please fasten your seatbelts when the fasten seatbelt sign is illuminated. However, we recommend that you keep your seatbelt fastened at all times, regardless of the sign. There shall be no smoking at all on the aircraft, and please turn off all cell phones, pagers, and other electronic devices. We will be showing you a safety video in just a few short minutes. Thank you for your time, and thank you for flying United."

               "Ooooh this is so exciting!!! In just 7 hours and 40 minutes we'll be across the country in our new home!!" Rachel squealed again as she fastened her seatbelt.

               "Actually, we'll be staying at a hotel for the first couple of days, so we won't really be 'in our new home', just in San Fransisco." Ross, being the irritating correcting freak that he is, kindly corrected Rachel, who just rolled her eyes at him. 

               "Ross, please, I am trying to enjoy our flight. Please don't ruin it by talking," Monica told Ross, just as the plane started to move away from the terminal. 

               "Please don't ruin it by talking," Ross ultrasonically mimicked his sister. 

               "Okay, are you guys gonna be like this the whole flight? Because if you are, I think I'll just trade places with that big, old bald man across of us." Rachel smirked. Ross and Monica looked at each other worriedly. 

               "You bitch!! You said you'd share your coke with me!!" Ross yelled at Monica. They were constantly fighting, and it had now been 5 hours into the flight.

               "I didn't say I'd share it with you!! I said that I **might** share it with you if I felt like it! And now…I'm not really feeling like it!"

               "So what, I'm just supposed to sit here and drink nothing! I'm parched!" 

               "Good…for…you!"

               "Monica! Come on, just a tiny little sip! Hey, I shared my water with you!"

               "Only because you split mine when you got so excited about that stupid article in your stupid science magazine, which, by the way, **is geeky!!!**" 

               "Just so you know, geeky isn't even a real word!! It's a slang for stupid people like you!"

               "Shut up!!! You and your corrections! You're like a walking, obnoxious dictionary with oily hair!" Monica silenced him and put her earphones on. Ross rolled his eyes at Monica, and turned to put on his earphones, but quickly realizes he didn't buy any. 

               "Goooood evening everyone! This is your captain speaking! We are now preparing for landing. Please fasten your seatbelts and return your chairs and tables to the upright position. Make sure all carry-on's are safely stored above you or below the chair in front of you. The weather in San Fransisco is very cloudy and cold. The temperature is presently 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you arrive at SFO, report to baggage claim G, G as in girl. Again, we are preparing for landing, and thank you for flying United."

               "G…baggage claim G…where the hell is baggage claim G??!" Rachel stomped on the ground, frustrated.

               "Umm, it's right there, under the big sign that reads 'G'." Monica pointed out. Ross and an embarrassed Rachel followed Monica to pick up their luggage. It was very crowded at SFO. Once they managed to squeeze through the crowd and pick up all of their heavy luggage, they wheeled it all outside. 

               "Okay, where's the shuttle to the Serrano hotel supposed to pick us up?" Monica squinted her eyes as she tried to read the signs.

               "I think it's stop 8, which is further down. Come on; let's hurry before they leave us." Ross and Monica wheeled their luggage, with a struggling Rachel in tow. They got to the stop just in time. After loading everything on the shuttle, they took off at a shocking 95 mph. [AN: sorry, that may not be shocking to some people, but in Hawaii, we drive slower, so it was shocking to me when our shuttle driver went that fast…] It took around 2 hours to get to the hotel. Once they settled in, it was 1:00 am. They were tired, yet very excited. Of course, Rachel was the most excited. She ran into their hotel room and opened the curtains to the balcony, revealing a spectacular view of the city. 

               "Oh my god! Monica, come look at this!! It looks almost like New York!" Rachel's eyes were twinkling. She suddenly gasped. "Look!!! It's Saks!!! Right there! Look how big it is!" she gasped again, "And there's Macy's!!! All 5 stories of it…" Rachel stared off dreamily into the city's lights. 

               Ross suddenly came running out of the bathroom holding shampoo in his hands. "Mon! You gotta smell these babies!! It's like heaven!" Ross opened a bottle and smelled it. 

               Monica rolled her eyes and sat down on one of the beds. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. As much as she wanted to start her life here, in this beautiful state, she missed New York. It was hard for her to let it go. That was her home…where she lived her whole life. Rachel, on the other hand, was born in LA and moved to New York when she was 9. Ross didn't really seem to care anyway. He had moved to San Fransisco because he had been offered a job at the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.

               After a week had gone by, they were all ready to move into their new residencies. [AN: I know it takes longer to find a house and all…but c'mon, it's just a fanFICTION] Rachel and Ross were going to remain in the city. Ross had found a nice apartment in Haight Ashbury. He had a half an hour drive to the science academy. Rachel lived not to far away, near Union Square, in a large apartment complex. Her department was right near Macy's, which was about a 15-minute drive. Monica, however, drove another 2 hours to get to her new home. It was a small cottage in Greystone, in Sonoma Valley. The man at the airport had been right; Sonoma Valley was very country-like. She could walk to the nearest church, grocery store, and even a winery a few blocks down. Although she had lived in the city for most her life, she had a strange connection with the new country living. It was beautiful there. It was a half an hour drive down a long country road to the Culinary Institute of America. The Conn Creek Winery was just across the street [AN: it's really not, but oh well]. 

               "Hey, you're Monica right?" a tall, slender girl walked up to Monica while she was walking to her class [AN: I've never been to a cooking school, so I don't really know what exactly happens…but I'm just gonna say that they have one class…]

               "Yeah, why?" Monica turned around.

               "You're new here. My name's Hazel, Hazel Jon."

               "Hi, I'm Monica Geller. Hazel…that's a nice name," Monica and Hazel started the long walk up the steps to their next class. 

               "Thanks. My mom gave it to me because of my eyes."

               "But, your eyes are blue," Monica pointed out. 

               "Oh, no these are contacts! My real eye color is Hazel brown." She laughed. "Gosh, don't you wish we were allowed to use those elevators? These stairs are tiring! Especially when your class is all the way on the 3rd floor! We're in the same class, right?"

               "Pastry?"

               "Yup. Don't worry Ms. Robbie is really nice. She even lets you eat the left over cookies from the night before!" Hazel stopped for a while to catch her breath. "So, where are you from?"

               "New York City."

               "The city?! Wow! Must be a big change for you!" Hazel and Monica started walking again. 

               "Yeah, but it's really beautiful out here! Especially the vineyards; they seem so…romantic." Monica laughed. 

               "I know what you mean. My fiancé just proposed to me at the Conn Creek, right across the street." Hazel smiled.

               "Oh wow! Congratulations!" Monica was delighted for Hazel.

               "Thanks. Well, here we are! Finally!" Hazel showed Monica where to sit. "I feel like I walked up Mount Everest. I mean, I know I do this every day, but it just seems to be getting harder and harder. It's a good work out though!" They both laughed and took their seats. _'Hazel seems really nice. I guess making friends here won't be as hard as I thought!'_ Monica smiled to herself, and snapped to attention when Ms. Robbie entered the room. 

               Ross stepped into the Academy of Sciences full of confidence and pride. He had been offered to give presentations in the Earth Science department. He walked to the front desk and asked the man where he could find Mr. Norville. Ross walked off, following the directions that had been given to him. 

               "Mr. Norville?" Ross peeked his head into a small room in the corner of the entrance. A skinny, balding man with a strange sweater vest on turned around in his chair. He had on dark, wire-rimmed glasses. 

               "Yes?" he answered politely.

               "Hello, I'm Ross Geller. The new speaker for the Earth Science department." Ross stuck his hand out towards Mr. Norville, who graciously shook it.

               "Oh! Ross Geller, please, have a seat." He motioned toward the chair in front of his desk. "Welcome to the Academy of Sciences. I assume you want to get started right away. Follow me and I'll show you where you'll be working… **for the rest of your life. **Hopefully." Mr. Norville smiled politely, regardless of his subtle threat. Ross, a little scared, followed him out of the building he had first entered, across an outdoor eating area, and into a second building with the title "Earth Science" in bold letters. Another man, around Ross' age and built, appeared from a dark room in the building. 

               "This is Michael Canal. He will get you settled and show you what you need to do. Enjoy." With that, Mr. Norville left Ross with Michael.

               "Oh…my…god! Rachel Green?!" a high pitched voice came from behind Rachel as she stood in the entrance of her new office. Rachel whipped her head around at the familiar voice. She gasped when she saw who it was.

               "Cindy?! Wow! What are you doing here?" Rachel pulled her old friend into a big hug.

               "I work here! Yeah, I'm an assistant buyer in Heddy's department," Cindy explained.

               "Really?!? Me too!! Oh my god, this is so amazing! We can catch up on old times! I haven't seen you since like, four years ago! How have you been?" Rachel and Cindy took a seat in her new office. 

               "Fine, I've been fine. I broke up with Henry though." Cindy looked down at her feet.

               "Oh no! Why?"

               "He was too overprotective when he found out I was moving to San Fransisco. I guess he didn't mind going to UCLA with me, but for some reason he didn't wanna go to San Fransisco. I think it has to do with his parents. Well, anyway, so I moved here a few months ago, and he thought every guy I met I would sleep with. So, I ended things with that bastard."

               "Wow…I'm sorry. I was sure that you two would get married or something!" Rachel laughed uncomfortably. "Well, ummm, I just moved here about a week or so ago. I came with Monica-you remember Monica right?"

               "Yeah! She was sweet,"

               "Yeah, well, I came with her and her brother, Ross. She lives all the way in Sonoma Valley though, so we visit each other on the weekends, but we talk every night." Rachel looked up right when her boss, Heddy, walked in. She told Cindy that it was time to go back to work. Rachel had a short meeting with her about what she needed to do as her assistant buyer.

               "Thank you for your time Rachel. You'll fit in perfectly here."

               Monica and Hazel became closer friends. Not as close as her and Rachel though. _'No one will replace Rachel.'_ They were just about to walk their long flight of steps to class on Monica's 3rd day of school, when Hazel suddenly shouted, "Let's take the elevator!"

               "What? Hazel, the students aren't allowed to use those." Monica reminded her.

               "I know, I know, but I really don't feel like walking all of those long…tiring stairs!! Please, look, no one's even paying attention. We can just sneak on! Please???" Hazel begged with puppy dog eyes.

               After a few seconds of thinking, Monica finally replied. "Okay…fine, but if we get caught, it's all your fault!" she smiled jokingly as she snuck over to the elevator and pushed the button.

               "Can I ask you something, Hazel?" Monica asked as they waited for the elevator. Hazel nodded. "Why don't you want to walk up those stairs? It's not that tiring. I mean, is something wrong? Like, why are you dreading to walk up those stairs everyday?"

               Hazel looked down at her feet. "They're just really tiring. I get tired easily, that's all."

               "Are you sure?" Monica said skeptically.

               "Fine, I guess I should be honest with you if we're going to keep hanging out. I mean, you'll find out sooner or later." Hazel paused and looked up at Monica. "I'm pregnant."

               Just then, the doors to the elevator opened. A young man with blue eyes and tan skin stepped out of the elevator. He had a coffee mug in his right hand. "Oh, hey Hazel!"

               "Hey!! Oh yeah, I forgot you made your coffee here! You guys still didn't get a coffee maker?" Hazel asked the stranger.

               "Nope. Don't think my boss likes coffee." He laughed and started walking away. "Bye Hazel, see you later!"

               "Bye Chandler!"

that's the end of the first part…please leave a review! ;) 


	2. The Straw Hat

Hey guys! I'm really bored and decided to hurry up and continue my fic. Hopefully you'll like this one too…

OH! And because this is gonna be a c/m fic, I'm gonna focus on them, and I may not write a lot about the rest of them. Plus, my aunty works at the Culinary Institute of America, and she lives in Napa Valley, so I know more about that part…hehehe

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters…blablabla

               Monica watched as the handsome stranger walked away. There was something about him that she really liked. Although she had only seen him for a few seconds, it was long enough to mean something. 

               "Oh, I'm sorry Monica. That was Chandler Bing. He works across the street at the Conn Creek Winery. He usually comes here once in a while to make his morning coffee," Hazel explained to Monica. They slowly stepped into the elevator and pushed the button to the 3rd floor. 

               "He works at the Conn Creek?"

               "Yeah, I think he works out in the vineyard. Y'know, picking the grapes and stuff. That's why he's so tan and fit!" Hazel laughed lightly.

               "Is Chandler your fiancé?" Monica just assumed that because he worked at the winery where Hazel said her fiancé proposed to her. 

               "Chandler? No way! I mean he's just a friend. My fiancé works at the grocery store near the golf course. His name is Justin." Hazel laughed at the thought of Chandler being her fiancé. 

               "Oh…well, does Chandler have a girlfriend?" Monica asked timidly.

               "Oooohh, someone has the hots for Mr. Coffee Man! No, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a girlfriend. Unless he's keeping it a secret from everyone." Monica smiled at the information Hazel just provided her with. They both got off when the elevator reached their floor. Fortunately, they did not get caught. 

               "Alright everyone, I'm hoping all of you chose your partners yesterday." Ms. Robbie paused as everyone looked around, silently acknowledging his or her partners. "Okay, get to work! Don't forget to tell me exactly what dish you are making, or I may have to fail you!" Ms. Robbie was a tall, red haired woman in her late thirty's. She and her husband had twin girls that looked exactly like her. 

               "Chocolate mousse? Don't you think that's a little…easy?" Monica questioned the suggestion that Hazel had just made to her. Chocolate mousse just seemed too elementary for Monica. 

               "Have you ever tried making Ms. Robbie's version of chocolate mousse? She requires like, all these different decorating and sugaring techniques. It's crazy! However, I **love** chocolate mousse! Please? Plus, I think I may barf if we make anything else!" Hazel laughed. She was 11 weeks pregnant, and would begin to show in a couple of months. 

               "Alright, we can make chocolate mousse. As long as you don't screw it up!" Monica joked and went over to tell Ms. Robbie their selection. When Monica came back, she noticed that Hazel seemed a little far away. "Hazel? Are you okay?"

               Hazel snapped out of her trance and flashed Monica a confident smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about my baby." She placed a hand on her stomach, which looked normal. Monica smiled warmly and placed a hand on Hazel's shoulder. 

               "I never told you congratulations!" Monica patted her shoulder gently. "Okay, we should get to work!" Monica clapped her hands together, signaling the start of their cooking project. An hour later, they had finished making the whipped cream, beating the eggs, and they were starting on the chocolate gelatin. 

               "Oh!! Ooopss!!" Monica gasped. She has accidentally spilled some chocolate on Hazel's white shoes. "Oh my god, Hazel, I'm so sorry!! I'll clean that up right away!" Monica grabbed a towel, wet it, and bent down to wipe her shoe.

               "Monica, it's okay! These shoes were designed to work in the kitchen! So what if it has a chocolate stain on it!" Monica looked up, shocked that someone would actually accept having chocolate on their shoes. "Hazel, you have chocolate on your shoe," Monica said each word slowly, emphasizing her point.

               "I said it was okay!" Hazel laughed at Monica's obsession to have things clean. Monica ignored her and continued wiping her shoe. Hazel just smiled and rolled her eyes. Once Monica had wiped off every last once of chocolate on Hazel's shoe, they resumed their mousse making. Monica was really enjoying it at the institute. After school was over, she and Hazel went to the school's gift shop near the entrance.

               "Thanks for coming with me. I just need a few things." Monica thanked Hazel and went to look for the items on her list. The gift shop sold many things, from tourist traps like magnets and key chains, to important necessities like utensils and dishes. Monica needed a spatula, egg beater, and a new apron. After paying for everything, she and Hazel left. Monica drove to her quiet cottage in her new yellow VW beetle. [AN: I LOVE those cars!] She parked her car outside of her house, waved to her landlord who had just arrived home next door, and walked up the stony path to her house. Right near her door was an adorable little white and brown cat. 

               "Hey! There you are! I was looking all over for you! C'mon Sonoma, let's go inside!" Monica spoke to her cat as if she were talking to her own child. A few days after she moved into her house, her neighbor gave her a cat as a house-warming gift. Monica hesitantly accepted the unusual gift, and after just a few days, fell in love with the new addition. She lets Sonoma run around anywhere, knowing she'll be back. Behind Monica's house was a forest of beautiful trees. She would sit on the porch, sipping hot coca, and stare at the sea of wilderness behind her house. Rachel often warned her that it could be very dangerous to sit out there late at night.

               "Monica, listen to me! You're so far out in the country; it's deserted out there! You shouldn't sit outside at night alone! It's dangerous! Haven't you heard about people getting killed in their country-side homes, and no one finding their dead body until three days after the murder has been committed!?" Rachel would yell into the phone.

               "I'm just as safe here as you are out in the city! Okay? I don't need another lecture from you! I already got one from my mother before I left, remember?" Monica tried not to sound to negative, but it just happened.

               "You're right Mon, I'm sorry. But still, you better watch your back!"

               "I will sweetie. Stop worrying about me."

               "Okay, I should let you go. You sound tired. Night Mon."

               "Goodnight Rach. Take care."

               "You too hun." Monica hung up with Rachel, placed the phone next to her on the bench, and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath of the cool country air that smelt of fresh leaves and had a hint of grape scent. She thought back on her old life in New York City. Remembering how she would have to watch her back whenever she walked on the streets, or how she could hear all of her neighbors whining and yelling through the walls or her apartment, or how she would go out onto the balcony and watch the city that never sleeps slowly and subtly run out of gas. She missed those things. She missed stepping out into the filthy, noisy streets, and breathing in the hot, steamy air that came from the cars and sewers. 

               Greystone was so different from the Village. She'd wake up to the sound of her alarm clock, followed by birds chirping and the occasional sound of cars driving by, instead of the busy sound of city life with cars honking and neighbors yelling. It was so quiet and peaceful in Greystone. The feel of Sonoma against her legs snapped her back to reality. She realized she'd been sitting outside for a good half an hour. It was now 10:00 pm, and she picked up Sonoma and the phone, then headed inside. Her cottage was small; it had one bathroom, one bedroom, a kitchen, a small washroom, and a small living room. Monica crawled into bed and fell asleep with Sonoma by her side.

               "So, that is why so many people are afraid of the idea that _Jurassic Park_ may be true. But, based on the presentation I just did, all of you should now find that very ludicrous! Thank you." Ross was just finishing up his fourth presentation for the day. "You may now head on to the building adjacent to this one. There you can learn about the universe, and there is a sky show in about 20 minutes. Have a nice afternoon everyone. Oh, and if you're hungry, you can go downstairs to the café! It's usually crowded, and it looks like theatre food, but I personally enjoy it!" Ross' presentation had been moved to the main building, instead of the earth science building. He was in the back, in the Life Through Time Hall. It was now nearing 1:00 pm and Ross had his lunch break. He went downstairs to the café and ordered two slices of pepperoni pizzas. 

               He didn't feel like eating in the noisy cafeteria, so he went back upstairs, out the entrance and sat on the cool grass outside. He watched the adults that were a couple feet away from him, doing tai chi and yoga. Suddenly, something caught his ear.

               _"What are they feeding you? Smelly cat, smelly cat, it's not your fault…"_ he heard the last few strums on an acoustic guitar and squinted to see the woman playing it. She was his age, wearing an orange dress with yellow flowers. She had a straw hat on, which consisted of two flowers; one was about to fall off. Her golden blond hair fell just below her shoulders, and she was sitting on a brown towel under a tree. Her guitar case was open, and Ross concluded that she was playing for money. He was in a giving mood and slowly approached the woman.

               "Excuse me, that was a very interesting song you just played. I enjoyed it," Ross spoke gently as the woman looked up from her guitar.

               "Thank you! It's called _Smelly Cat_. I wrote it myself," she smiled proudly. Ross pulled out a five from his pocket. He hesitated only slightly, before dropping it into her guitar case, which was empty except for another pick. 

               "Oh, no, don't put the money in there. Here," the woman took out another straw hat, that was bigger than the one on her head and consisted of more flowers, and accepted the money. Ross was a little puzzled, but glad to see that other people had given her money as well. Just by glancing, he estimated that she had about $10.50 in her straw hat. "Thanks. I'm Phoebe."

               "Ross." They shook hands. "I work here at the academy. Do you…have…a job?" he didn't want to sound rude.

               "No, I don't have a job or a place to live. I just live in the park, and sometimes…" she paused and giggled a little, "I sneak into the Japanese Tea Garden and sleep there. It's really peaceful." Everyone knew the tea garden was off limits unless you had a ticket. Ross felt sorry for Phoebe, but somehow knew that she would be okay. 

               "Thanks for the money, Ross. I appreciate it."

               "No problem, Phoebe." He just remembered something. "Hey, do you want the other slice of my pepperoni pizza? I really don't mind." He placed the plate next to her guitar case.

               "Oh…ummm, I don't eat meat. But that's okay; I'll just peal off the pepperonis. Thank you."

               "You're welcome. I'll see you around then." Ross said as a statement, more than a question. He smiled and walked away. He turned around once more and saw Phoebe taking the pepperonis off of the pizza and dropping them into the straw hat. _'Weird'_ Ross thought and shook his head. 

               _"Morning Mon! I don't know if you left for school already, but I just wanted to check up on you! Remember, we're meeting for dinner tonight! I can't wait! You have to see what my new hair color looks like!! Well…I'll talk to you later. I'll call again around 5:00. Have a good time at school! Bye…"_

Monica played back the message Rachel had left her while she was taking her morning shower. They were having dinner tonight in Sausalito. They tried to find a spot that was the same distance between the two of them, but Monica insisted they eat there even if it was closer to Rachel. It had been a week since she last saw Rachel, and 3 weeks since they moved. 

               "Hey Hazel! [AN: that's kinda hard to say…] Ready for our Italian presenter?" Monica caught up with Hazel in the entrance of school. They were having an Italian pastry chef come all the way from Italy to talk to them about different preparation techniques and recipes. Hazel seemed a little dazed. "Hazel? You seem a little hazy." Monica giggled at her attempt at a joke. Hazel cracked a little smile.

               "Sorry…just a lot on my mind. School, the baby, Justin…" she trailed off. Monica sensed something was wrong…something with Justin.

               "Hazel, is everything okay with you and Justin? I mean, I don't mean to be rude, but you seem a little down." Before Hazel could answer, Chandler appeared again, with his empty coffee mug in his hand.

               "Morning Haz!" Chandler walked up to them. He only then noticed Monica. "Oh, I don't believe we've met. My name's Chandler Bing."

               "Nice to meet you Chandler. I'm Monica Geller." They shook hands and Chandler suddenly noticed that Hazel seemed far away. 

               "Hazel? You okay in there?" he waved his hand in front of her face. 

               "Yeah Chandler, I'm fine." She smiled that confident smile of hers. Chandler smiled. "Now go make your coffee!" she jokingly pushed him away. All three of them laughed and Monica watched him leave. He stepped into the elevator and waved at them. 

               "Wait!!!!" Monica suddenly yelled. Chandler quickly held the door open as Monica pushed Hazel into the elevator with her. "Sorry. I just remembered how much you hate walking up those stairs. I wouldn't want to hurt the ba.…" Monica stopped herself, remembering that Hazel hadn't told anyone that she was pregnant. "The… baby in this group!! Yeah, Hazel, you're the youngest one here! Wouldn't wanna get you mad!" Monica laughed uncomfortably. Chandler seemed to buy it, but Hazel, however, turned paler and seemed very nervous. 

               When Chandler left, both Hazel and Monica seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry Hazel! It just kinda slipped out! But, I think he bought the story!" Monica tried to smile a true smile, but failed. Hazel just stared at the floor of the elevator and Monica noticed that her eyes started to water. 

               "Oh no Hazel. I'm sorry! I didn't mean…" 

               "It's not you." Hazel interrupted quietly. 

               "What's wrong? Do you wanna talk about it?" Monica asked gently. After a long pause Hazel spoke softly.

               "I promised not to tell anyone, but I have to get it out. You have to promise me, Monica, that you won't tell anyone at all." Hazel looked up at Monica with pleading, yet demanding, hazel eyes. She wasn't wearing her contacts. 

               "I promise Hazel." Monica said very sincerely. Hazel took a deep breath.

               "Chandler…is the father of my baby." Hazel kept her eyes glued to her chocolate-free shoe. 

               "What? But the other day you told me Justin was your fiancé." Monica was confused.

               "Justin **is my fiancé." She said quietly. "We were on a break…**

to be continued…and please leave a review.  


	3. Pituitary

Here's the next part folks…Be thankful that I'm sick, otherwise I'd be in school now and I wouldn't be able to finish this as fast…But, then of course, don't be TOO thankful, cuz y'know, I wanna get better! 

               "No, Hazel!! I'm sorry! I'm not gonna do it!"

               "Please Monica!!! I really need your help here! I just…I don't feel like telling him myself. I know I should, but I just don't think I can. Monica, c'mon, you have to help me!"

               "Hazel, listen to me for a second. Chandler deserves to know that you are carrying his baby. Now, I know that it's gonna be hard for you to tell him, but you have to! It wouldn't be fair for him, or you, if I were to tell him! How would you feel if…Chandler's friend came up to you and told you that Chandler was preg…uhhhhh…okay, how would you feel if Justin's friend came up to you and told you that Justin wanted to marry you? Okay? It just wouldn't be right if **I** were the one telling Chandler about his new baby." Monica tried her best to reason with Hazel. School had just ended, and it was 3:45 pm. They were drinking a cup of coffee at the institute's café.

               "Monica…**please?** It'd be easier for me, and I dunno, it might be easier on him." Hazel sad brown eyes started to water again.

               "I know you can do this, Hazel. You're just afraid. C'mon, what happened to the other Hazel I used to know? The one who walked up to a complete stranger and welcomed her into the school? The one who gave Ms. Robbie that long speech about how much we deserved an A on that project?" Monica paused and took Hazel's hand in hers. "It's gonna be hard, I'm not denying that. But you have to tell him **yourself**. Remember that saying, 'If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain?' Well, if you want things to work out between you, Chandler, Justin, and this baby, **you** have to tell him yourself. I don't wanna get in the middle of this. Trust me, even if it's hard in the beginning, it'll only work out for the best."

               After what seemed like the longest pause ever, Hazel gently squeezed Monica's hand and looked up. 

               Softly, almost timidly, she spoke. "When it rains, it pours."

               The strong smell of wine got to her head as she stepped out of the institute, into the cool, county air. She waved to her dear friend, who was driving away toward her house. She took a deep breath and walked on the rocky ground to the Conn Creek Winery. Once she reached the entrance she paused for a moment. _'I can't do this. It's not right…'_ Before she had time to turn back, she heard a woman's cheery voice.

               "Welcome to the Conn Creek Winery! May I help you with anything? Are you here for a tour?" 

               "Ummm…no actually. I'm here to see Chandler Bing. Do you know where I can find him?"

               "I think he's taking his afternoon break. He should be right out this door, somewhere on the brown benches. If he's not then look under the banyan trees in the back." The woman smiled politely, revealing teeth in dire need of braces. 

               "Thank you." She found Chandler sitting on the brown bench, right on the outskirts of the vineyards. He was drinking a can of soda and he had the newspaper in his hands. She cleared her throat politely to get his attention. He turned around and smiled.

               "Hi! Monica, right?" Chandler stood up.

               "Yeah. Ummm…I need to talk to you. It's about Hazel." Monica knew she was doing the wrong thing, but Hazel had convinced her so well. She seemed like she was really dreading having to tell Chandler, so Monica's friendly instincts just kicked in. 

               "Okay, sure. Here, you can sit here." Chandler motioned to the spot next to him on the bench. 

               "Thanks. Ummm…okay, I'm not sure how to say this." Monica started. "I tried to convince Hazel to tell you herself, but she wouldn't listen. And I know I shouldn't be the one telling you this, but I'm just being a good friend to Hazel. You have to promise me that after I tell you this you will talk to Hazel as soon as you can because it's really important that you do. Okay?" Monica rambled nervously. Chandler eyed her suspiciously, then nodded.

               "Okay, I'll talk to her…but as soon as you tell me what's going on."

               "Alright, see, here's the thing. Hazel is engaged to Justin…" Monica looked up at Chandler's anxious eyes. "And then there was that time that they got into that big fight about the money problem…"

Flashback: About 4 months ago…(before Justin proposed) 

"You know what Hazel, I'm sick of this! I work really hard for money, and all you do is complain!"

               "Justin, you work at a grocery store!! You get less than minimum wage!! At least I try! That's the whole reason I got the job at the golf course! So I could help pay for the bills, **and** for that stupid car of yours!" Hazel was getting very irritated. 

               "That's another thing! You don't even appreciate the fact that I drive you almost everywhere! That stupid car of yours doesn't even work!" Justin paused and put his hands in his hair, frustratingly. "Look Hazel, I'm not the richest guy in the world, hell, I'm not the richest guy in our community, and I probably never will be. But, at least I try to support us! Okay?! Sometimes it seems that you take me for granted. Like now, I come home late from work and all you do is complain and accuse me for things I didn't even do. You don't even consider the fact that maybe I was just working late to help us survive here!!"

               "Well sooorrry! What am I supposed to think when you come home at 11:00 at night from a grocery store that closes…at **nine!!!** How the hell could you be working late, if your dumb job finishes at nine?!? Huh?!" Hazel slammed her fist on the table and stood up. "You know what, I'm getting tired of this arguing! Why don't we just leave it at this?"

               "What are you saying? That we break up?! Is that what you mean? Just because of this stupid fight?"

               "First of all, it's not just this fight! Haven't you noticed that's all we've been doing recently?"

               "Yeah, so…we fight a lot? Who cares?" Justin shrugged.

               "Justin!" Hazel sighed heavily. "I do not want to break up. I don't wanna end what we have. I'm just saying…maybe we should go on a break for a while. Y'know, take a break from each other. Clear our minds. Stop fighting for once."

               "A break…" Justin pondered the idea for a few seconds. "Yeah, a break sounds good. Just, y'know, spend some time apart for a while. Hopefully that'll clear some stuff up. Maybe when we're back together, we won't be trying to kill each other," he laughed awkwardly. Hazel stifled a small smile, then walked out without saying a word. 

               "Hazel? What's wrong?" Chandler noticed something was bothering her when she walked into the Conn Creek the next night.

               "I'm just…I dunno what to do!" Hazel was frustrated. She loved Justin, but lately, she's been thinking that maybe they weren't meant for each other. 

               "What's wrong?" Hazel hesitated. She didn't feel like telling Chandler.

               "C'mon Hazel. Here, sit down on those benches out there, I'll bring some **free** wine out, and you can tell me everything." Chandler smiled and went to get the wine while Hazel reluctantly walked outside. When he arrived, he sat next to Hazel and handed her a glass of well-aged Pinot Noir.  

               "Just don't get too drunk okay?" Chandler jokingly said while patting her on the head. Hazel laughed lightly and began her story. 

45 minutes and 5 glasses of wine later, Hazel finished her story and was now sobbing openly into Chandler's arms. Chandler had enough to drink as well. 

               "I'm sorry. I have no idea why I just told all of that to you! I mean we hardly talk! You're just the guy that makes his coffee in the morning!" Hazel broke out into a fit of drunken laughter, joined by Chandler. "You know what, I wanna learn how to pick those grapes over there!" Hazel suddenly said, pointing out into the dark vineyard.

               "But it's 9:00, we'll have a hard time seeing the little things!" Chandler laughed. Hazel just rolled her eyes and pulled Chandler up. She wanted to pick the grapes, and she was going to pick the grapes. Chandler raced Hazel to the vineyard, where they ended up staying until almost 10 pm. "Let's go home Chandler! It's late!" Hazel pulled him towards the exit.

               "Okay Hazy! Let's go! My place or yours?"

               "Well…my place is closer, so we'll go to mine! Hopefully Justin's not there!"

Fortunately, Justin wasn't at home to see anything…

_Present:_

               "So…basically what I'm trying to say here is…Hazel is pregnant." Monica paused and saw Chandler's reaction. 

               "Is it…" he tried to say

               "Yes, it's yours. Hazel's pregnant, and you're the father." Monica kindly took Chandler's hand into hers as she spoke. "I know she should have been the one to tell you. I even told her that myself, but she wouldn't listen to anything I said. She seemed so sad, and I just wanted to be a good friend. Please don't get mad or anything because Hazel is really upset. And, I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself if she ever…"

               "Shhh…don't worry. I'm not really upset, just, shocked." Chandler put his fingers on Monica's lips, silencing her. Monica smiled, relieved that he was handling this okay. "I mean, I will freak out eventually, because that's what Chandler Bing does. But don't worry, I'll talk to Hazel right away."

               "So, that's it? Everything's fine…?" 

               Chandler ran his hand through his dark hair. Sighing, he nodded. "Yeah, I just need some time to think, and y'know, talk to Hazel. I just don't want to be the reason something happens between her and Justin. I mean, they're happy now; they're not fighting as much as before, and I know if Justin find's out, they'd call off the wedding." He stopped talking for a while to look over at Monica. She looked a little relieved; yet there was anxiety in her eyes. "But don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong, Monica." He comfortingly held her hand in his. She smiled graciously. Chandler looked into her relaxed, blue eyes, and though he didn't know it, his pituitary was slowly, **ever so slowly** and subtly reacting to her. See, according to some people, love is a reaction of the pituitary…

               "_Hi, you've reached Hazel and Justin's. We are unable to come to the phone right now. Leave a message and we'll get back to you…" BEEP!_

               "Uhhh…hi Hazel, it's Chandler. I…uhhh…gimme a call on my cell, 555-3487. Thanks, bye." Chandler hung up and turned to Monica. "She's not home, or she's not answering her phone. I told her to call me back." There was an awkward silence between the two of them. For some strange reason. 

               "Oh my god!" Monica suddenly jumped up from the bench. "What time is it? Please tell me it's not 5! Please tell me it's not 5!"

               "Relax, it's only 4:35. Why? Do you have to be somewhere at 5?"

               "Yeah, I have a dinner to go to with my friend." Monica gathered up her things. "Sorry to leave like this, but I'm gonna be late if I don't leave now. Uhhh…thanks for the wine!" Monica gave him a quick hug and hurried out the door. Chandler had given her a free bottle of Merlot, just to make her feel better. He could tell how tense she was about the whole situation. He walked back inside to see Deborah, the lady at the front desk. 

               "Hey Deb, I'm gonna take off early, okay?" Deborah was about to say something, but Chandler stopped her. "Don't worry, Shaun said I could leave early if I wanted. They hired a new worker, and apparently he's been going all out with grape picking. So, I'll see you tomorrow! Don't forget to tell Shaun I'm leaving," with that, Chandler hopped into his black BMW and left for his house in…

               "Sausalito! Mon, can you believe this? It's Sausalito! This town is known for it's crazy antiques! Look how unique it is!!" Rachel squealed. They had just met in the parking lot near the restaurant Monica had picked out. Monica had to admit that it was pretty amazing there. She turned her head and looked out towards the ocean. They were standing right near the wharf and could smell the salty sea air. 

               "Wow! You can see the city from here!" Monica pointed out. Rachel turned to Monica's direction and saw that she was correct. That had a spectacular view of San Fransisco. "That's pretty amazing…" Monica trailed off. She missed the city. Rachel noticed, and pulled her into a hug. 

               "C'mon, we have some dinner to eat!" Rachel said when they broke apart. They both walked into the Italian restaurant right next to a cheesy pizza parlor. 

               "I don't get why they put a cheap pizza parlor right next to a fancy Italian restaurant like this. That doesn't make sense." Monica stated when they stepped into the restaurant. 

               "Yeah…got me," Rachel wasn't really paying attention. She was amazed at how nice the restaurant looked. From the outside, they all looked almost the same; like mediocre food-bearing restaurants. But this one was different. Once they sat down at their table, Rachel took off towards the bathroom to fix her hair. Monica had been reading her menu when all of a sudden her cell phone rang, startling her. She thought it would be Hazel calling, but when she answered it, she was surprised to hear someone else.

               "Monica?"

               "Ummm…who is this?"

               "It's Chandler, from the Conn Creek." He hoped to refresh her memory. "Remember me?" 

               "Oh, yeah, of course! How'd you get my number?"

               "Hazel called me back. We talked for about half an hour, and I asked her for your number. I hope you don't mind."

               "No! No, not at all. So, how'd everything go with you and Hazel?" Monica inquired.

               "We talked, and we figured that she should tell Justin-later-that she's pregnant. I know she's going to be tempted to say that the baby is his, but I made her promise me that she wouldn't. You were right, she did seem pretty upset."

               "That's good. I mean, not that she seemed upset, but that you guys got everything settled. So, is that all you called to tell me?" Monica motioned to Rachel, who had just gotten back from the bathroom and was silently asking who Monica was talking to. 

               "Yeah, pretty much. And I also wanted to tell you that you're welcome in the winery anytime!" He laughed a little. "Thanks for your help Monica. Hazel and I both appreciated it."

               "No problem. And hey, thanks for the wine! I tasted it before I left…that's some good wine!" she smiled. "And I'll keep that winery invitation in mind. I don't know what it is, but something about the vineyards…"

               "I know exactly what you're talking about. That's what attracted me to this place!" They both laughed lightly.

               "Well…I'm about to have dinner with my friend, so I'll talk to you later?" 

               "Yeah. I'll see you on Monday! Still making my early morning coffee runs!" they both laughed.

               "Alright, bye Chandler."

               "Bye Monica." Monica hung up and looked at Rachel who had a silly smile playing across her face. 

               "So…who's Chandler?" she said teasingly. 

               "He's just some guy who makes his coffee at the institute. He's having some problems with his…friend, and I was destined to fix things or something." Monica grumbled and looked at the menu. The waiter then walked up to their table. He had wavy black hair and dark skin. 

               "Good evening ladies. Can I take your order now?"

               "Ummm," Rachel looked at Monica, who nodded. "Yes. I'll have the spaghetti marinara with red clam sauce, and the '99 Zonin White Merlot." Rachel handed her menu to the waiter.

               "I'll have the Rotini Primavera and the '95 La Corte please." 

               "Alright, I'll be right back with your meal." The waiter flashed them a mechanic smile and left. 

               "So Rach, how's everything at Heddy's?" Monica hadn't talked to Rachel about her job since a week ago.

               "It's great! It's so much fun! I mean, I didn't actually think that having a job could be fun, but it is! And especially with Cindy there, y'know, it makes everything a lot easier when you have a friend." Monica nodded, thinking about Hazel.

               "And, Heddy is leaving a couple days to go to Milan!! How cool is that? Maybe, if I get promoted later on in the future, I'll get to go too!" Rachel was excited about something she didn't even have. "So, how's everything in the country?" she suddenly gasped, "How's Sonoma?? I still didn't get to see her! You have to bring a picture of her! I've always loved cats."

               "Sonoma's fine. The other day I had to give her a long bath because she went out in the mud, and came back **all** brown instead of white with brown spots. I tell you, that cat's got like a mind of it's own. 

               It was 6:00 pm and Ross was just leaving the academy. He had to work later since his partner, Clyde, left work sick. Ross walked past the tai chi doers and turned the corner to find his car. He would park it not in the parking lot, but behind the tea garden, since the parking lot usually got full with tourists. He was taking out his keys when he heard something in the bushes. He immediately became alert and turned into "ka-ra-tay Ross".

               "Who's there?! I'm not afraid of you! I know ka-ra-tay!! Show your face you cowardly beast!!" Ross pulled a Jackie Chan pose and made an indescribable sound. Someone was whispering his name.

               "Ross? Is that you?? Ross?" 

               He slowly lowered his arms and peered through the bushes. "Phoebe?! Is that you?" Phoebe stuck her head out. She smiled politely.

               "What in the world are you doing in the bushes??!" Ross helped Phoebe up. She pulled her hand back, signaling that she wanted to stay in there.

               "There's a security guard that goes home at 6:10 and he always walks past here. This is how I sneak into the tea garden! So I'm hiding out until he passes by. What are you doing here? I never saw you here before."

               "Oh, that's because I usually end work at 5:00 instead of 6." He cocked his head to the side. "Are you sure you don't need any help? You look a little uncomfortable in there."

               "No, Ross, I'm fine." She noticed the security guard walking to his car and slunk back into the bushes. Ross didn't notice him.

               "Are you sure? Ummm…maybe you should get outta there. I could take you to dinner or something," Ross didn't exactly know why he was offering to let this strange homeless girl in his car, but something about her attracted him.

               "Sir, who are you talking to?" a dark, well-built man in a security guard's uniform was staring down at Ross with the strangest look on his face.

               "Uhhhh…ummmm…isn't it obvious??" the man just continued to stare with the weirdest expression. Ross laughed to ease the tension. "I'm **obviously** a flustered psychopath talking to myself!" he laughed unconvincingly again.

               "Uh-huh. Sir, I suggest you take it easy on the alcohol tonight. The roads are very wet. Good evening sir." The security guard walked away shaking his head. As soon as he drove away, Phoebe poked her head back out.

               "Flustered psychopath?? Are you serious?!" Phoebe's eyes were filled with panic. 

               "No! Phoebe, I was just joking, y'know, so he wouldn't suspect anything."

               "Oh…so, about that dinner invitation…"

To be continued

Okay…I don't really know what happened in this chapter. I had a writer's block…a major one. Hopefully, the next one will be better! Leave a review…please??


	4. Go Figure

Next part…

               "Phoebe, can we **please** just find a place to eat already?? We've been walking around for 45 minutes! My feet are getting sore…" Ross whined. They were in China Town looking for a good restaurant to eat in.

               "I already told you Ross; I want to find the best place to eat! I want this to be special!"

               "Awww…Phoebe, thank you!" Ross put his hand to his heart.

               Phoebe looked at him confused. "No, not because of you! It's my first time in 5 months since I've been to a restaurant, so I want it to be perfect!" 

               Ross scoffed, embarrassed. "I knew that. I was just…y'know…playin around." Phoebe suddenly stopped, forcing Ross to bump into her. She gasped and looked up at the restaurant's sign.

               "This is it! This is the restaurant! I'm totally feeling this place!" Phoebe looked over at Ross. "Let's eat here. This is where we'll eat, okay?"

               "Pheebs, this is the first restaurant we passed! You said you didn't wanna eat here because the owner didn't allow parrots to come in. Remember?"

               "Oh man! Are you sure this is the restaurant?!" Phoebe stomped her foot on the ground.

               "Yes, because there's that other mark you made the last time you did that," Ross pointed to a mark on the ground next to where Phoebe has stomped her foot. She looked down and sighed.

               "Well, I guess we'll have to keep walking! C'mon Ross!" she started up again. Ross groaned and mumbled to himself. 

               "Why did I have to say that? Stupid, stupid, stupid…" He looked up and noticed Phoebe walking further away. "No! Phoebe…this isn't that restaurant!! I was just joking!! We can eat here!" Phoebe kept walking. "Oh, c'mon!! Just eat here!!" he started running after her. "Phoebe!!! Please! Look, look, the owner's letting the parrots in…Phoebe!!"

               The whole time at dinner, Monica was tempted to tell Rachel about Hazel and Chandler. She had already told her who Hazel was, as well as Chandler, but she really wanted to tell her about their problem. _'No, I shouldn't. I can't. Hazel and Chandler both trusted me with this, plus, Rachel can't ever keep a secret…'_ Rachel noticed that Monica seemed to be a bit troubled and distant.

               "Mon? Is everything okay?" Rachel was concerned about her best friend. 

               "Ummm..yeah. Of course, why wouldn't it be?" 

               "I dunno, you just seem a little, far away or something." Rachel paused. "Just remember that if you ever need to talk, Monica, I'll listen. Okay?" she took Monica's small hand in hers. Monica smiled gratefully and nodded her head.

               "Okay. Thanks Rach." Monica remembered something, "Same goes for you, okay?"

               Rachel smiled again. She missed hanging out with Monica on a regular basis. They were best friends, and no matter how many miles are between them, they'll still be best friends. _'I hope...'_ Rachel shook off the idea as quickly as it had come. 

               "Okay. Thanks Monica." A couple minutes later, they got their check, split the bill, and headed into the parking lot. They stopped for a minute to look at the city across the water. It was beautiful. [AN: It REALLY is! If you ever go to Sausalito, check out the view baby!]

               "Almost looks like home, doesn't it?" Rachel pointed out sadly.

               "Yeah…almost." Monica put her sunglasses on, to hide her watering eyes, and changed the subject quickly. "Okay! Well, you should get going. It's a long drive back home." Rachel wondered why she was wearing sunglasses…it was 7:50 at night. 

               "Actually, Mon, your drive is a lot longer." Rachel had a point. They both shared a long, big hug, before saying their goodbyes. 

               "Take care, kay?" Rachel hugged Monica one last time. She acted as if they weren't going to see each other until a couple of months.

               "Okay, you too! I'll call you later!" Monica smiled and turned to find her car. Once she found it, she turned and watched Rachel drive off in her silver PT Cruiser. [AN: I LOVE those cars too!]

               "Nice wheels." Monica jumped. She recognized that voice. She turned around and gasped when she saw who it was.

               "Oh my god! What are you doing here?!" not exactly the opener that she had in mind, but she couldn't help it. 

               "Wow, that's not the usual opener most people say to me," she laughed a little. _'Go figure…'_

               "Sorry," she smiled and laughed. "But when Joey Tribbiani suddenly appears next to my car, I kinda get a little tongue tied."

He smiled. "That's okay. I've heard weirder ones. And, to answer your question, I'm here waiting for my ride." Monica looked intrigued. She wondered what

a famous actor like him was doing in Sausalito. She also wondered why she was having such an easy time talking to him. A famous actor. A cute, famous actor.

               "Oh, well, why are you all the way out here in Sausalito?" what were the odds of her running into Joey Tribbiani…

               "I have a house in Beverly Hills, and I have another penthouse here in San Fransisco. I switch back and forth between the two." Joey explained. "Since we're on hiatus for Days of Our Lives, and I'm not shooting any movies, I wanted to come out here and, y'know, relax."

               Monica nodded and took off her sunglasses, which she realized she had on for a while and must've looked pretty stupid with them on. Joey smiled and cocked his head to the right. He leaned up against Monica's car. "How you doin?" 

               Monica smiled shyly when she finally realized that Joey Tribbiani was flirting with her. _'Oh man! Rachel's not gonna believe this!'_  She started getting very excited. Just a few minutes ago, she was saying bye to her best friend, and now, Joey Tribbiani was standing before her, talking to her!

               "So…what's a gorgeous girl like you doing out here alone?"

               Monica blushed. "Actually, I just finished dinner with my friend, and I was about to get into my car until you showed up." She smiled. "And I would leave, except for the fact that you're blocking my way." 

               "Oh, it wouldn't be the fact that you're talking to a famous actor?"

               "Hmmm…not really." Monica was having fun.

               "Well, I'll let you go, but there's a password." Joey teased. 

               "What kind of password?"

               "How about, your name, and your number?" Monica had to stop herself from jumping up and down and squealing. She took out a pen and paper from her purse and wrote down the 'password'. 

               "My name's Monica Geller, and that's my number," she handed the paper to him. 

               "Access granted." They both laughed. "Okay, thanks Monica. I'll call you." 

               And Joey Tribbiani stuck to his promise…go figure.

               BEEP! _"Hey Monica, it's Hazel! Why did you turn your cell off?  How'd your date go last night?? You've got to call me!! If you can't, that better be the first thing you tell me tomorrow at school!! I can't wait! You're soo lucky Mon!! Okay, well…gimme a call ASAP! You have my number.  Bye…"_ BEEP!

_"Monica, it's Rachel. You do know that your cell phone is off…anyway, I hate you!! You're sooo lucky!!!! How'd you manage to go on a date with Joey Tribbiani??! Oh my god, you've got to call me first thing!! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!!! Tell me everything! It must have been the best night of your entire life! What was he wearing? Where'd he take you?? Kiss and tell!! Kiss and tell!! Call me, okay?? You better! Love ya…" _BEEP!

_"Hey Monica! This is Ross. I heard from Rachel that you went on a date with Joey Tribbiani last night. I can't believe it! My baby sis went on a date with Joey Tribbiani! Call me back as soon as you can!! I deserve to know everything!! Bye Mon, I love you. Oh, and turn your cell phone on!"_ BEEP!

_"Hi, this message is for Monica Geller. This is Cindy Shepard, from high school. I think Rachel mentioned to you that I work with her, but, anyway, I heard you had a date with Joey Tribbiani! That is so, unbelievably lucky for you!! If you can, call me! I'm dying to know everything! My number's 555-9898 Thanks, bye."_ BEEP!

_"Hi Monica, this is Chandler. I tried calling your cell, but I think you turned it off or something. Hazel just told me Joey Tribbiani took you to dinner last night! That must have been pretty amazing. Well, just wanted to know how everything went. I don't watch Days of Our Lives, but he was great in Business Talk! So, call me back when you have the time. I think you have my number, if not, my cell is 555-3487, my home is 555-2922. Thanks!" _BEEP!

_"Hey Monica, it's Joey. I just wanted to call and tell you that I had a great time last night. Now, see, I normally wouldn't call a girl and tell her this, but I just had to call you. I couldn't stop thinking about you, about our night together, about those breathtaking eyes of yours that sparkle and dance, about that beautiful smile that lit up the entire San Fransisco sky, about that warming little laugh that turns me into jelly. I want to see you again, Monica. I want to see you again and be able to freeze the world, so it's just you and me. Call me back baby, and we can recreate the magic." _ BEEP!

Monica sighed heavily and sank into the couch as the last of her messages played. She picked up Sonoma, who had been purring on the cold ground. 

"It's not that I don't wanna see him ever again, Sonoma. It's just that, well, he's too fake. I mean, don't get me wrong, he'd make a great friend. But when he tries to be romantic, and sentimental, it all seems rehearsed." She paused and looked at her cat. "Know what I mean?" Sonoma looked up at her with precious, yet confused, brown eyes. Monica groaned and put her head back. "I guess I'll call him…later. I have to find a way to tell him I just wanna be friends…he'd make a really good friend." Monica closed her eyes as she though aloud. "Oh crap."

Phoebe looked up from her favorite spot under the tree. She saw Ross running towards her, sweating and out of breath. He had just arrived at Golden Gate Park, and was running a little late for work.

"Ross! Aren't you a little late?" Phoebe stopped strumming on her guitar. A very out of breath and tired Ross stopped running and turned to Phoebe.

"Yeah…I was just…talking…to my…sister. She was…telling me all…about her…date with…Joey Tribbiani, and…well, I kinda…lost track of time." Ross explained between breaths. 

"Joey Tribbiani?! Isn't he the guy that was in the play here at the park? About, 2-3 months ago?"

"Oh, I wouldn't know since we just moved here a little over a month ago." Ross managed to say after catching his breath.

"Oh, okay. Ummm…shouldn't you get going?" Phoebe motioned towards the academy. 

"Yeah! Okay, I'll go! I'll see you at lunch then!" Ross ran hurriedly towards work. Phoebe just shook her head and continued playing her guitar. 

A few hours later, Ross went to see Phoebe under the tree during his lunch break. He brought her a Caesar salad and bought himself a tuna sandwich. After taking a seat next to her on her brown towel, he began his story.

               "So, tell me about that thing with your sister." Phoebe started while taking a bite of her salad. 

               "Okay, she told me that she was just finishing dinner with Rachel, our other friend, and she heard someone behind her. And it turns out that it was Joey Tribbiani!" Ross was talking with a lot of excitement in his voice. 

               "Wow! He just kinda appeared outta nowhere! What did she say to him?"   
               "She told me she said 'What are you doing here?' Isn't that weird?"

               "No! No, actually it's not weird. Some people think that the first thing that subconsciously leaves your mouth when talking to someone represents the impact they'll have on your life. So, like, in your sister…" she paused, waiting for Ross' answer.

               "Monica."

               "Monica's case, 'What are you doing here' represents that Joey Tribbiani will keep showing up in places she wouldn't expect him to be, or want him to be! Know what I'm saying?" 

               Ross stared at Phoebe blankly. He tried not to look to bewildered, but it showed. "Uhhh…yeah, Pheebs." They were both silent for a minute. "Anyway, so, she told me that he asked for her number after they got through talking for a bit. The next night, he took her to Acquerello for dinner and when that was over, they came here to go stargazing! How cool is that? Stargazing!"

               "Yeah, that is cool! So, is she gonna go out with him again? If she isn't, tell her to give me his number!"

               "I dunno actually. She said that he would make a good friend, because he's like, really funny and fun to be around. But she said that he's not really himself when he switches into that romantic kinda mood…" Ross tried to explain.

               "Oh, you mean like he's using lines from his movies and stuff…"

               "Yeah. Well, whatever. I dunno, I just don't want Monica to get hurt, y'know. She's my sister that's why."

               "God, Monica, it's so amazing that you actually went out with Joey Tribbiani! I mean, there's gotta be like millions of people in San Fransisco, and you just so happened to run into the cutest one of all!" Monica was on her cell phone with a squealing Rachel. She was eating lunch in the school's cafeteria with Hazel sitting next to her. "I mean, when I met him at the airport, he was soo cute! And you actually got to spend a whole night with him!!! Ooooohhh…I hate you!" Rachel laughed at the end, to reassure Monica she was just joking. 

               "Okay, Rachel. Can I go now? You've been telling me basically the same thing for the past half an hour." Monica only had 10 more minutes left for lunch, and with Rachel bugging her about little details, she'd hardly had any time to eat.

               "Okay, okay, okay. I'll let you go. But you have to call me again when you get home! I'm not done asking you questions!"

               "Alright Rach, I'll call you later! Bye!"

               "Bye!" Monica could hear Rachel squeal happily before she hung up. She turned over and apologized to Hazel, who just smiled in return. "Thank God you're not begging me for every little detail!" they both laughed and continued eating their lunch.

               "So, is everything okay with Chandler and Justin?" Monica didn't want to bring up the subject, fearing it would be uncomfortable for Hazel, but she needed to know. Hazel didn't answer right away. Instead, she looked hard at her food.

               "Yeah, everything's okay with Justin. He doesn't know about the baby or anything yet. I know I'll have to tell him, but I'm trying to wait till the last minute possible." She stopped and played with her food. "It's Chandler that I'm worried about. He seems so…I dunno…calm."

               Monica was confused. "You're worried about Chandler because he seems calm?"

               "Yeah! I mean, first of all, if you tell any guy you're pregnant, whether it's your husband, or your one night stand, they'll freak out somehow. But Chandler hasn't really done anything like that! The most he's done to show he's a little scared is forget his coffee cup that one time in the morning. And second of all, why is he so calm when he knows that **he** could be the reason Justin and I break up?? What is the matter with him?"

               "Maybe you should talk to him, y'know, try and get him to open up a bit. He's probably just freaking out inside, but he doesn't want you to know so you won't freak out even more." Monica suggested.

               "Well, I am freaking out no matter what he does! And I already did try and talk to him. He just said that he'd freak out later, when it finally hits him. He also said not to worry and that it'll all be fine!" Hazel started to get more frustrated. "It's like, hello?! How can he stay so calm during all of this!? I just…I can't take it! I can't take it Monica! It makes me so nervous whenever I go home to Justin!! I want to tell him because I hate having to keep secrets from him, but I don't want him to get mad! I love him so much, and I know this whole thing will destroy everything we've got! God, why did I have to be so stupid and get drunk?! I wish…I wish I could just…get an abortion or something." Hazel started crying. Monica pulled her into a hug, feeling guilty about bringing the subject up in the first place. They both say there, letting Hazel cry and get all of her emotions out. Monica suddenly came up with an idea that would hopefully help Hazel.

               "Hazel," Monica said softly. "Why don't you come over to my house after school and spend the night? Just relax at my place. You won't have Justin watching your every move and making you feel guilty."

               "I dunno Monica. I mean it seems like a really good idea. It would help me think of what I'm gonna do…but, wouldn't it be inconvenient for you?"

               "No, of course not. It would make me feel better knowing that you'd feel better." Monica pleaded with Hazel. "C'mon, it'll be good for you. You can yell or cry without Justin thinking anything because he won't even be there!"

               After thinking it through for a few seconds, Hazel finally accepted Monica's offer. After school ended, Hazel called Justin using Monica's cell phone.

               "Hey Justin, it's Hazel…yeah, I'm fine…no, I just wanted to call to tell you that I'll be staying late at school…no…yeah, my friend and I have this project to work on…yeah, the one I was telling you about…okay…I'll call again later…bye…love you too." Hazel hung up, then hopped into her car and followed Monica back to her house. It was pretty deserted, so she would be able to follow her no problem. However, Monica did give her directions in case something happened. When they arrived at Monica's house, Hazel quickly got out and ran to Sonoma.

               "Oh my god! Is this your cat?" Hazel picked her up and started petting her. 

               "Yeah, her name's Sonoma."

               "Awwww…Sonoma. Aren't you the cutest thing in the world?" she rubbed Sonoma behind her ears. "I love cats!! They're so adorable!" she put Sonoma down and followed Monica inside. 

               "I know, I know…this isn't exactly the most fanciest place to spend the night, but hey, I'm a single girl trying to support herself after just moving from New York! What do you expect?" Monica placed her keys on the kitchen counter. Hazel was thinking almost the exact opposite.

               "No, Monica, I love this place! It's so small and peaceful! Wow…" Hazel looked around, interested. "It's so cute here!" she was starting to sound a little like Rachel. She sat down on the sofa and noticed something on Monica's shelf. "Wow!! Is that a real pumpkin??" she pointed to a bright orange, medium sized pumpkin with green vines and everything.

               "Yeah! Oh…right, you weren't there. That night you went to talk to Chandler, these farmer people came for a convention at the institute, and they had pumpkins on display. We got to keep some."

               "Awwww…I can't believe I missed that!" Hazel said just when the phone rang. Monica slowly walked to it, fearing that it was Rachel, who, by the way, she forgot to call back.

               "Hello?"

               "Hello? Monica?"

               "Joey?" Monica hesitated a bit.

               "No, it's Chandler. But good to know that I sound like a famous actor!"

               Monica laughed to ease the tension. "Oh, Chandler! Sorry, with everyone talking to me about Joey, it just kinda manipulated into my head, I guess." She laughed again. Hazel tensed up when she heard Monica say Chandler's name. They had all gotten a little closer over the past couple of days.

               "So, what's up?" Monica asked.

               "Is…is Hazel there? Because I thought I saw her follow you home when you guys left the institute." Monica thought about that. It would be easy to notice Hazel was following her, since there was hardly any cars on the road, and Hazel has to drive the opposite direction that Monica would to get home.

               "Ummm, yeah, she's here. Did you want to talk to her?" Hazel's eyes were practically screaming "no". 

               "Yeah, actually, I did. Could you put her on?"

               "Sure, hold on."

               "Thanks."

               Monica handed the phone to Hazel, who tried to wave it off. Monica ignored her and forced her to take the phone. "He could have something really important to say." Monica whispered. Hazel reluctantly took the phone. Monica picked Sonoma up and walked outside, giving Hazel her privacy. She went for a quick walk to the grocery store and bought apple juice. For some reason, she was craving that right now. She walked back to her house, but stayed outside. Around 15 minutes later, Hazel signaled to Monica that she could come back in. 

               "So, what did Chandler want?" Monica asked while she put the apple juice in the refrigerator.

               "He just wanted to tell me that if anything related to the baby comes up, to call him on his cell right away." [AN: I know, kinda like 8.14 epi, but who cares, that's what everyone would want]

               "You took 20 minutes just to talk about that?" Monica inquired.

               "Yeah, and well…I kinda confronted him about my feelings, y'know, like, about him being so calm and stuff."

               "Oh, what'd he say?"

               "He apologized, and he said that he was trying to hide his feelings because, like you said, he didn't want me to get more scared." She laughed a little. "He said when you first told him, when he got home the only things he could think of were babies. He said he practically hallucinated." Monica laughed.

               At around 6:30 pm, it started to rain very hard, and didn't stop. The roads were slippery and it was starting to get colder. Monica and Hazel ate pizza on Monica's small kitchen table for dinner. They drank the apple juice that Monica had bought, Rachel called twice, and ended talking to Monica for a total of 1 hour. Joey had called once, but Monica was in the shower when he called. 

               "Hello?" Hazel picked up the phone. Monica had given her permission to answer it if she wasn't there.

               "Uhhh…is Monica there?"

               "She's in the shower right now…" Joey smiled on the other end. "…Can I take a message?"

               "No, that's okay, I'll call back again later. Just tell her that Joey called." With that, he hung up, leaving a dazed Hazel on the other end. She started doing a little 'happy dance' of her own. "I just talk to Joey Tribbiani! I just talked to Joey Tribbiani! I just talked to Joey Tribbiani…OH SHIT!" Hazel stopped suddenly and realized something. "I was supposed to call Justin!!" She ran to the phone and quickly dialed his number. A loud crash of thunder and a big lighting bolt startled Hazel as she waited for Justin to pick up. Just then, Monica came out from the shower with her hair wrapped in a towel and her robe on. 

               "I'm calling Justin…" 

               Monica gasped. "Oh yeah! You were supposed to call him!"

               "Where is he?" their machine came on. "Hi honey, it's me, I'm sorry I didn't call you…"

               "Hazel??" Justin's voice interrupted her message. 

               "Justin? Where were you?"

               "Sorry, I was about to take a shower."

               "Oh, well, like I said, sorry I didn't call you, but ummm…we were still at the school until about 6:30, and then it started to rain really hard. Ms. Robbie told us that it would be dangerous if we drove on the roads since they were so wet, and it was getting darker outside, so Monica, my friend, offered to let me stay at her place. It's closer to the school than our house. So, I think I'll stay the night, is that okay sweetie?" Monica gave Hazel a thumbs-up for the good story. 

               "Uhhhh…yeah, sure. Although, I will miss you! But, I wouldn't want you to get hurt or anything, so you should stay at Monica's house."

               "Okay, thanks Justin! I'll call you tomorrow morning, or sometime later."

               "Alright, you girls have fun!" he laughed. "Bye Haz, I love you."

               "Love you too Justin."

The rest of the night, Hazel and Monica talked about what Hazel should do. Hazel cried a few times, and Monica offered her a reassuring hug, although she wasn't too sure herself. Monica knew Hazel was going through something very hard, and she vowed that she would help her with anything that may come….

Monica awoke from her sleep on the couch with a start. She heard a sound coming from her bedroom, where Hazel was sleeping. As soon as her ears and eyes got adjusted, she recognized it as Hazel…screaming. She bounded from the couch over to Hazel, who sat up in bed. 

"Hazel? Hazel, what's wrong?"

"I…I don't know. I'm wet…I think, I think I'm bleeding." Monica went over and flicked the light switch on. She could now see Hazel clearly. She was sitting up in bed, her hands were covered in blood, and so where her new off-white sheets, but as if that mattered right now. 

"Oh my god!" Hazel started panicking. 

"Okay, honey, just sit back down. Stay calm, I'm gonna go call for help."

"Monica…don't leave!"

Monica touched Hazel's now pale face. "I'll be right back sweetie." Monica's sweet, reassuring voice calmed Hazel down a bit. Monica rushed into the living room and picked up the phone. Within a few seconds, she was done talking and back in the room with Hazel.

"Are you in any pain Hazel?" Monica held Hazel's cool, clamy hand, regardless of the fact that it was mostly covered in blood.

"Yeah, I have cramps…really bad ones." Hazel's pale, sweating face was scrunched up in discomfort. Monica nodded. 

"It's gonna be okay Hazel. The ambulance is on its way." Sure enough, just a couple minutes later the emergency team had arrived. A man, in his mid-30's with black hair entered first, followed by a couple of nurses and aids. [AN: okay, I don't really know **exactly** what goes on here, so bare with me]

"She's in here," Monica showed the man to Hazel. He crouched beside her and asked her a couple questions with a soothing, yet professional demeanor.

"Are you in any pain, miss?" 

"I have bad cramps." Hazel was starting to get more nervous with the medical team standing around.

"Are you bleeding at the moment?" the doctor noticed the blood.

"Yes, I think just a little."

The man turned to the nurses. "Get her on the stretcher, we need to check this girl's vitals." A nurse checked her blood pressure and pulse, while they wheeled her into the ambulance. 

"Low blood pressure, rapid pulse." The nurse could be heard telling another nurse. Monica rushed over to Hazel's side, but was stopped halfway by the doctor. He spoke in a low voice.

"She's pregnant, am I right?"

"Yes, I think about 17 weeks along. Her name is Hazel Jon." The doctor nodded and walked up the Hazel on the stretcher. Monica followed him and grabbed Hazel's hand. "Can I come? I'm her good friend."

"Sure. Stay in the back with Hazel." Monica followed the doctor's orders. She stepped into the ambulance with Hazel and whispered soothing words to comfort her. 

"Hazel?" Hazel eye's, which were closed, opened and she squinted a little. "Hello Hazel, I'm Dr. Kedner. You're in the ambulance right now. We're driving you to Queen Valley Hospital. You'll be alright, okay?" Hazel nodded and closed her eyes again. Monica was holding her hand, which was blood-free after the nurse had cleaned her up.

Dr. Kedner turned to a nurse. "We'll need two caliber IV's and a type and crossmatch." He checked turned to Hazel and placed an oxygen tube below her nose. "No transfusion needed yet." He turned to another nurse and took out an IV needle. "You're still bleeding Hazel. We're going to give you fluid."

That's when Monica remembered something. She was supposed to call Chandler whenever something baby-related happened. She quickly whipped out her cell phone and dialed Chandler's cell phone, just to make sure it was on. It rang once, and she hung up. She then sent him a text message explaining everything…

Chandler, it's Monica. I'm riding in the ambulance with Hazel right now. We're heading to Queen Valley Hospital.  It's 1:56 am. She's bleeding and has cramps. I'm writing you instead because I don't want to scare her. I think she's miscarrying…

She pressed send, then dialed his home phone, just to wake him up. 


End file.
